Category Archives: translations / prijevodi

House of the Halubje Bell Ringers

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30th April 2024 finally saw the opening of the House of Halubje Bell Ringers in Viškovo. I am extremely proud to have been the sole English translator in this very special project since 2019. If you know about the zvončari – bellringers, then you’ll understand how important they are to the local people of this part of Croatia – so important so that they are protected by UNESCO.

The visitor centre is full of everything related to the bell ringers’ history, customs and costumes and the local culture and traditions. There are interactive installations, models, tools, costumes and there will be workshops, concerts and cultural events.

Attending the opening ceremony were local dignatories, mayors, organisers, and Croatia’s President Zoran Milanović. Of course there was a impressive, mass performance by the Halubje Bell Ringers themselves.

Kuća Halubajskega zvončara https://khz.hr/

Kuća Halubajskega zvončara – House of the Halubje Bell Ringers Facebook

Veli Jože in English

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My English translation of Vladimir Nazor’s ‘Veli Jože’ has been published my Modernist d.o.o. from Varaždin. The book is an exact, faithful reproduction of the original 1908 edition and includes all the excellent illustrations by Saša Šantel.

To promote this edition myself and the editor from Modernist, Robertino Bartolec, presented the book to the pupils at the Vladimir Nazor Primary School in Motovun, where the story of Veli Jože takes place, in April 2024.

Along with a slideshow of Saša Šantel’s original illustrations the pupils asked us very interesting questions about the story, the characters and locations, etc. It was a lively discussion. There is more info on the school’s website here.

I am very grateful to the teachers and pupils and of course to Modernist for publishing the book which is now available on their website here and also for distributing it to the public libraries across Croatia.

Join the ‘Veli Jože in English’ Facebook group

The book is also available to buy on Amazon and most e-book outlets.

Lennon – opera by Ivo Josipović

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Possibly the highlight of 2023 was working on Ivo Josipović‘s opera ‘Lennon’. As the proofreader I helped refine the text of the libretto written by Marina Biti and as a translator I translated most of the superb book that is included in this deluxe box set produced by Croatia Records.

The box set contains 2 CDs, 2 LPs, DVD, Blu Ray disc, a 64-GB USB that contains all the digital contents plus the super 88-page glossy, large format book with the libretto, essays, reviews and all the details of the stage production.

The opera was first publicly performed on 24th April 2023 at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb and I was lucky enough to meet Croatia’s ex-president Ivo Josipović before the show.

The Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb was the venue for the first performance of Ivo Josipović’s opera ‘Lennon’
The performers take a bow at the end of the show.

The deluxe box set was launched by Croatia Records at the Croatian National Theatre on 8th December, 43 years after John Lennon’s murder in New York. I was very pleased to be invited and chatted with Mr Josipović after the dignitaries and media left.

It was a honour to be involved in such a prestigious project about one of my musical heroes and a global icon. I look forward to working with Croatia Records in the future.

Dubrovnik Museums Zbornik

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The 5th edition of Zbornik Dubrovačkih muzeja celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Museums’ founding. This latest volume feature hundreds of articles, reviews, archaeological finds as well as the history and activities of each of the four Dubrovnik Museums throughout their 150 years.

Over 398 pages the book features lavish photographs of paintings, diagrams, letters, documents and previous publications by the Museums, as well as past and present archaeological digs, ground plans, illustrations and finds. It was a honour for me to provide the English translations for the majority of the summaries for each section in this impressive volume.

Publisher: Dubrovački muzeji 2022.
ISSN 1849-8876